\begin{sidebox}{Optional rule: weapon familiarity}

All Close Combat weapons, Slug Throwers, and Energy Weapons have a technology rating, which reflects their capabilities. Characters are skilled in all weapons for the technology ratings in the range between the highest tech and lowest tech world for which they have Culture/Tech (C/T) familiarity. A character who has C/T for two T2 worlds can only use T2 weapons and Brawling weapons with their combat skills; all other weapons are considered untrained (skill -1). A character with C/T for a T-1 world and a T1 world can use T-1, T0, and T1 weapons as trained.

Characters may, however, select ``archaic weaponry'' instead of a system in the cluster to gain familiarity in historical styles of fighting (T-4 to the highest C/T tech value) or may choose ``precollapse weaponry'' to gain proficiency with high tech weapons (from the lowest C/T tech value to T4). Players should note on their character sheets the tech range of weapons their characters are familiar with.
\end{sidebox}